The Way to a Man's Brain Is Through His Stomach with Neuroscientist Dr. Aya Osman

Over the past few years, the health and wellness space has been flooded with the concept of the "gut microbiome," or the ecosystem of microorganisms in our stomachs. Probiotics, which have become prominent on social media, are said to strengthen this bacterial community and can result in benefits like improved nutrient absorption, skin inflammation, and even mental acuity. However, this connection of the gut to the mental sphere has actually been shown in research as the "gut-brain axis" (GBA). In fact, according to a 2015 journal from the Annals of Gastroenterology, a bidirectional relationship between our gut and our brain has been shown to influence our responses to anxiety, stress, and even functions of memory through interactions with the central nervous system.

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